Summoning the Holy Sword

"Will Mr. Rhode and Anne be fine?"

Lize prayed as she placed her hands on her chest worriedly and gazed at the metallic door. Although she knew that Rhode could summon a powerful army anytime he wanted, she couldn't help but feel worried about the situation. No matter what, he was a man she liked and admired.

"What if something bad happens…"

"Lize, Rhode will be fine. Don't worry."

On the contrary, Marlene crossed her arms and scanned quietly at the houses below them. Although they were both concerned about Rhode, they faced the situation with entirely different attitudes.

"Rhode knows what he's doing. If he isn't confident, he won't risk his life. Besides, you're also aware that he would rather go on adventures alone if it is extremely dangerous. This time he brought Anne along because it isn't too dangerous for them. Perhaps he would have had us tag along if we could grasp our spells in this place."

"I know, but I'm just worried about the what-ifs… I-I'm not cursing Mr. Rhode in any way."

Lize explained upon sensing the dissatisfied gaze from her close friend. In fact, she knew that this wasn't right of her because it did seem like she was cursing him as he tried his best.

However, Marlene wasn't mindful about Lize 'cursing' Rhode because she was aware of her character. Although Lize had grown a lot after being Rhode's adjutant for a long time, a leopard couldn't change its spots, after all. This was why Marlene disagreed inwardly before shifting her attention to the edge of the plaza below.

Hmm?

Something isn't right.

The residents of this refuge were walking about on the plaza and if one were to neglect the tattered clothing on them, perhaps they would be no different from ordinary humans. Marlene sharply sensed the change in attitude in them as though they were involved with a goal.

Suddenly, she had a bad omen. But as she continued to observe the situation, she heard Gillian's voice.

"Got it, Master. It's time for a barbecue session then. Alright, the self-destruction process has been activated. You pitiful NPCs, you shall pass on in peace."

Before Marlene understood what Gillian meant, a scarlet flare emerged before her eyes.

Countless scorching flames spurted in all directions like water pumps, mercilessly blasting on the densely built houses. Shortly after, deep explosions rumbled the ground while the flames wreaked havoc and devoured the people. Lize shrieked instinctively while Marlene turned to Gillian in astonishment. Gillian was nonchalantly moving her finger while she swayed her fluffy tail.

"Miss Gillian, what happened? They…"

"They're our enemies now, Little Marlene, Little Lize. Are you ready? They're no longer NPCs we need to rescue. Instead, they're creatures who you can gain EXP from."

Gillian drew a circle with her finger before tapping lightly like an orchestra conductor. Then, the flames that engulfed the entire ceiling merged into a gigantic fireball that crashed to the surface.

Boom!

The ground rumbled and everyone drew their weapons. Although they didn't understand why Gillian launched her attacks on the residents, they knew that this was by Rhode's order. But why did Rhode give this command?

Everyone was dubious. Although most of them were veterans, they had never attacked unarmed civilians without any logical reason. Moreover, they had never thought of slaughtering on such a massive scale. But now, Gillian was actually so brazen?

But…

"Oh no, it doesn't seem as easy as expected…"

Gillian grumbled boringly and everyone widened their eyes in surprise. The residents stood up in the flames and ignored the blaze on their bodies. They looked up to the sky and locked eyes with Gillian and the others on the tower.

"———!"

Everyone including Marlene and Lize instinctively shivered as their gazes were filled with insanity. It was as though the residents were about to shred this world into bits! In an instant, everyone's hair stood and they had the urge to eliminate these monsters!

That's right. Monsters.

Earlier on, if everyone treated the residents as humans, they instinctively felt that they weren't humans anymore after witnessing their crazy eyes. Instead, they were more like indescribable monsters, just like the Chaos Creatures that they met outside!

At the next moment, their fears came true. The residents growled wildly and leaped out of the scorching flames like lizards, neglecting the pain that penetrated their flesh. In the blink of an eye, a dozen of them had crawled up the tower and appeared before them. Then, one by one, they jumped into midair and pounced.

Boom!

A scorching wall of flames burst out of the ground and devoured the Order Refugees who leaped into midair. But at the same time, several Order Refugees also passed through the flame wall and launched their attacks.

It seemed like a battle was unavoidable.

Everyone watched vigilantly with weapons in their hands. However, it wasn't anyone of Rhode's subordinates who attacked first. Instead, it was the little girl who remained silent ever since Rhode entered through the metallic door.

Shing!

A shimmering flash.

The little girl dashed forward and stood before everyone. Then, without a change in her expression, she slashed the dagger and punctured the throat of one of the enemies. She knitted her brows and brandished her right hand.

"———!"

The razor-sharp blade air ripped through the Order Refugee's body in a sharp whistling gale. Not only that, but the other Order Refugees behind the victim were also struck off. This scene left everyone baffled. They gazed at the little girl blankly and didn't expect that she would be the one who attacked first. How was this possible? Furthermore, how did she possess such powerful strength despite her age being about the same as Christie's? Also, they were the ones who launched the attack on the refuge first, so instead of the little girl attacking them, she chose to slaughter the Order Refugees? Shouldn't the Order Refugees be her companions?

"As expected."

Rhode twitched his brows. He held his sword and scanned the enemies before him. At this moment, it was no longer the dark sphere. Instead, it was a massive construct formed by Chaos crystals. It let out a menacing roar and glared fiercely at Rhode.

This old bast*rd…

Rhode gritted his teeth. It was apparent that this Chaos Creature was unlike the ones they had faced earlier.

Which idiot designed this damn refuge? Why did that idiot place the central crystal and core together? Were they sick of living?